Service Desk Manager

LRQA; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

LRQA is seeking a senior Service Desk Lead to steer the global Service Desk function, ensuring high-quality IT support for LRQA employees worldwide. You will line manage 3 Team Leads and 6 Analysts, drive continuous improvement, and act as a key escalation point for major incidents to minimize business disruption.

Ideal candidates will have 5+ years of leadership in IT service delivery, ITIL v4 expertise, and strong stakeholder management.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a similar role managing a global or regional Service Desk function.
• Strong leadership experience, including managing teams with multiple reporting lines.
• Background in IT service delivery within a medium to large enterprise environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the daily operations of the global Service Desk and ensure consistent delivery of support services.
• Line manage 3 Service Desk Team Leads and 6 Service Desk Analysts; support their development.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide mentoring and development opportunities.
• Monitor KPIs and SLAs to ensure targets are met or exceeded; drive service improvements.
• Act as escalation point for major incidents; collaborate with ITSM team for incident and requests.
• Collaborate with IT functions to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.
• Provide regular reporting on service desk performance and contribute to monthly service reviews.

Skills

Leadership

ITIL v4

Stakeholder management

Incident management

Team coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/related

Tools

Halo ITSM

Ticketing systems

Knowledge base

Job description

• Lead the global Service Desk function, ensuring the delivery of high-quality IT support services to LRQA employees worldwide.
• Manage and develop a team of Service Desk Team Leads and Service Desk Analysts to achieve operational excellence.
• Act as a key escalation point for critical IT issues and incidents, ensuring prompt resolution and minimal business disruption.
• Continuously improve processes, tools, and service levels to align with industry best practices and organizational goals.
• Foster a culture of service excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning within the team.

Role purpose:

• Lead the global Service Desk function, ensuring the delivery of high-quality IT support services to LRQA employees worldwide.
• Manage and develop a team of Service Desk Team Leads and Service Desk Analysts to achieve operational excellence.
• Act as a key escalation point for critical IT issues and incidents, ensuring prompt resolution and minimal business disruption.
• Continuously improve processes, tools, and service levels to align with industry best practices and organizational goals.
• Foster a culture of service excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning within the team.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Leadership and Management:

• Oversee the daily operations of the global Service Desk, ensuring consistent delivery of support services across.
• Line manage 3 Service Desk Team Leads and 6 Service Desk Analysts supporting their development.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, set clear objectives, and provide mentoring and development opportunities for the team.

Service Delivery and Continuous Improvement:

• Monitor and analyse key KPIs and SLAs to ensure targets are met or exceeded.
• Identify areas for improvement in processes and tools and lead initiatives to enhance efficiency and user satisfaction.
• Implement and maintain ITIL best practices for the delivery of Service Desk function.

Incident Management and Escalation:

• Act as an escalation point for major incidents, ensuring timely resolution and effective communication with stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the ITSM team to support business users with incident and service requests.
• Collaborate with other IT functions to identify root causes and prevent recurrence of critical issues.
• Providing OOH Major Incidnet Management on a rota basis to ensure Major Incidents are managed to resolution as quickly and safely as possible.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders across LRQA to ensure the Service Desk aligns with business needs.
• Partner with other IT teams (e.g., ITSM, Cyber Security, Infrastructure) to provide seamless support and drive alignment on cross-functional initiatives.

Reporting and Communication:

• Provide regular reporting on service desk performance, highlighting trends and recommending actionable improvements.
• Contribute to monthly service reports and present updates in monthly service review meetings.
• Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences, ensuring clear updates on issues and resolutions.

Technology and Tools Management:

• Manage the Service Desk’s tools and platforms, such as ticketing systems and knowledge bases, to optimise support and self-service capabilities.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Service Desk.

Technical/Professional Qualifications/Requirements:

Education and Experience:

• At least 5 years' experience in a similar role managing a global or regional Service Desk function.
• Strong leadership experience, including managing teams with multiple reporting lines.
• Background in IT service delivery within a medium to large enterprise environment.

Technical Expertise:

• In-depth knowledge of ITIL frameworks, with a preference for ITIL 4.
• Familiarity with Halo ITSM, or other enterprise-grade ITSM tools.
• Understanding of IT infrastructure and technologies, including Windows, Active Directory, networking, and cloud-based solutions.

Skills and Competencies:

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, able to engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on root cause analysis and preventive measures.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively under pressure.
• Commitment to fostering a customer-centric culture within the Service Desk team.

Desirable:

• Experience in managing global teams and working across multiple time zones.
• Knowledge of agile & DevOps methodologies and their application to IT operations.
• Relevant certifications, such as Microsoft, Cisco, or cloud platforms (Azure, AWS).

Behavioural Competencies (BCs)

• Takes responsibility for delivering customer needs (G3)
• Listens and asks questions to gain an understanding of customer needs and expectations
• Ensures that colleagues are aware of customer needs and understand how their role impacts the customer
• Anticipates customer needs, actively seeking feedback to improve satisfaction
• Takes responsibility for resolving problems within the scope of his/her experience o Balances customer needs with safety, operational and commercial constraints
• A key player in building and maintaining a positive team culture (G4)
• Sets a personal example through actively creating a positive, inclusive and safe working environment
• Recognises and capitalises on team diversity to achieve the best possible results
• Fosters relationships across functional and geographic boundaries to share technical expertise and best practice
• Proactively addresses cross-functional conflicts to find win-win solutions
• Credits individual contributions and celebrates team accomplishments
• Demonstrates a range of influencing techniques for positive impact (G4)
• Communicates functional/team vision, plans and decisions in a way that engages team members, gaining buy‑in and support
• Sells ideas by linking benefits to needs, i.e. ‘what’s in it for them’, identifying key stakeholders, and building strategies to influence them
• Identifies and uses the tone, method, channel and content that will have the greatest impact, adapting style and delivery to suit audience
• Negotiates confidently in difficult situations, maintaining good relationships, and actively applying LRQA values
• Communicates credibly in all situations, and is aware of personal impact
• Takes a commercial view when making decisions and taking action (G3)
• Demonstrates an understanding of how key decisions and strategies affect the top and bottom line
• Considers cost implications and benefits of actions and decisions with awareness of budget
• Balances time, cost and quality variables without compromising on health and safety
• Uses resources effectively and identifies appropriate alternatives /efficiencies
• Initiates improvements to cut costs, improve efficiencies or seize opportunities
• Solves complex problems (G4)
• Uses a range of tools and techniques to break down complex issues and evaluate potential solutions
• Thinks inclusively, innovatively and commercially in generating a wide range of solutions and best courses of action o Makes sound decisions in the face of ambiguity
• Shows integrity and accountability for outcomes for decisions made, communicating lessons learned
• Coaches and empowers others to reach own decisions and solutions, without micro‑managing
• Plans and prioritises workload to ensure goals/targets are achieved (G3)
• Is well‑organised, using structured plans, prioritising and managing time effectively to meet deadlines and targets
• Balances a range of conflicting priorities and tasks to determine the best way forward
• Holds regular team reviews to track goals, giving clear feedback to drive performance and address issues
• Identifies barriers to achievement and actively seeks to minimise them
• Demonstrates a high level of drive, enthusiasm and a positive attitude to work, remaining calm under pressure

Who are LRQA?

LRQA is a leading global assurance partner, combining deep industry expertise with innovative solutions to help organizations manage risk, improve performance, and drive sustainable growth.

Operating in over 50 countries with a team of 2,500+ professionals, we support more than 60,000 clients worldwide through assurance, certification, cybersecurity, inspection, and training services. Our purpose is simple: to help businesses build a safer, more secure, and more sustainable future.

What We Offer:

Join a global team where your expertise is valued and your development is supported. We offer a collaborative work environment, opportunities for professional growth, flexible working arrangements where applicable, a competitive salary aligned with the market, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Pre-Employment Checks

If you are successful in securing a role with us, we may carry out pre-employment checks, as permitted by local law, including verification of identity, right to work, employment history, education, and criminal records where applicable.

These checks are conducted by our trusted screening partner, Cfirst, in compliance with applicable data protection laws. Any personal data collected will be used solely for recruitment purposes, stored securely, and retained only as required.

For questions about the screening process, contact [e-mail] , For queries regarding your personal data, contact [e-mail]